List of homages in Dragon Quest XI

As Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the 30th anniversary title of the series, it boasts a wide variety of references, allusions, and homages to the ten games that came before it. These range from key items of past adventures making a reappearance after several real-life years, one-off monsters returning suddenly, and broad inspiration from past characters and circumstances.

All versions

Th following are present in the PS4, Switch, 3DS, and PC versions of the game.

Characters

• Veronica and Serena are magical twins who travel the world looking for the legendary hero, and one of them is proficient in offensive magic while the other is proficient in supportive magic, like Maya and Meena.
• Jade's status as a princess and her mastery of martial arts draws inspiration from Tsarevna Alena. The difference is that the former is soft-spoken, lady-like, and sharp of tongue while the latter is boisterous, child-like tomboy.
• Rab is a former king who travels the world in disguise to locate a loved one, similar to Pankraz. Additionally, the legendary hero of their respective worlds is their grandson. Rab is also the oldest party member in the group and acts as a mentor to Jade, mirroring Borya's relationship with Alena.
• Erdwin and his party are inspired by the classic Dragon Quest III Hero, Warrior, Sage and Mage vocations.

Items

• The Six Orbs from Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation play a pivotal role in the game's story. While the orbs had first reappeared in Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, this was as simple alchemical ingredients and had nothing to do with plot progression.
• The Sword of Light looks like Erdrick's Sword.
• Several outfits reference part titles:
  • "The Trodain" for the Luminary is based on the outfit from Eight from Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.
  • "The Kitty Cat" for Veronica is based on the cat suit from Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation.
  • "The High Priestess" for Veronica is referencing Jacqueline from Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.
  • "The Flapping Fairy" also for Veronica references Stella from Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.
  • "Skintight in Scarlet" for Serena is based on a very similar outfit Anlucia can wear in Dragon Quest X.
  • "The Divine" for Jade is based on Jessica's divine buster from Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.
  • The clown costume for the Luminary and Hendrik is based on the gadabout outfit from Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation
• The Slime Quest machines in the casino use music and sounds from the Rocket Slime games.

Monsters

• Calasmos is protected by a cloak of darkness during the final battle, which must be removed by using a sacred item as a tool. This is based on Zoma's infallible shield of ice, which must be destroyed by the Sphere of Light.
• The Abominable Showman returns as an opponent in a martial arts competition, albeit as a muscle-bound pro wrestler instead of a yeti. Other fighters of the Endor tourney get referenced on other participants of the MMA tournament: Sinderella (Prima Donna), Golden Boy (Quick Draw McGore) and Erik's partner (Attila the Hunk).
• Robbin' 'Ood, along with his henchmen, once again reappears as a side-mission boss.
• In the Definitive Edition of the game, it's possible to ride on great sabrecats like in Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and Dragon Quest X.

Themes

• Hero and Erik's escape from prison is reminiscent of Hero and Harry's escape from the slave camp, with the hero and his friend jumping from a waterfall and being rescued by nuns.
• The relationship between the mermaid Michelle and fisherman Kai is a more tragic take on the romance between Unda and Rod of Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation.
• Time travel plays a significant role in the game's story, serving as a brief instance of exposition during the beginning of the Luminary's adventure upon his return to Cobblestone, and as a major plot point during the end of the second act. The first instance references the Hero of Dragon Quest V returning to Whealbrook during the third generation, and the latter pays homage to the act of time traveling righting the wrongs of the past being the foundation to Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.

Definitive Edition and 3DS exclusive

The Echo Chamber from Tickington allows players to travel to the worlds of past games for additional adventures, allowing them to meet several characters from those titles and visit famous locales for original scenarios.

In the 3DS version, the tockles sent via streetpass can wear special outfits, including gear from heroes and party members from other games, like Alena's hats.